The former prime minister of Finland, the ex-president of Ecuador, a former campaign manager for John McCain and a key government healthcare policy-maker are among the fellows at the Institute of Politics (IOP) this fall.

Esko Aho, who became the youngest Finnish Prime Minister in the country's history at the age of 36 in 1991, will join Jamil Mahuad, who just finished his term as Equador's president. Former McCain aide Rick Davis, Medicare chief Nancy Ann DeParle, former congressional representative and Vietnam War protestor Father Robert Drinan and investigative journalist Ted Conover will also lead student study groups that begin next week.

IOP Director David Pryor, a former senator from Arkansas, said he hopes this year's fellows will show students on what public life is like.

"We look for fellows who will bring everyday experiences," he said yesterday. "Students receive ample book training. We want to bring them into contact with people who have real-life experiences in public life."

Aho has been active in Norwegian politics since 1983 when he became a member of the Finnish parliament, and has, since 1990, led Finland's Centre Party.

As the prime minister who led Finland into the European Union, Aho will lead a study group on the birth of the E.U. and its potential impact on global politics and the economy.

Mahuad, the Equadorian politician, served as Mayor of Quito for six years before his presidency. He will head a study group on "Latin American Politics, Leadership, and the Effects of a Global Economy."

A managing partner of the political consulting group Davis Manafort, Davis recently coordinated John McCain's presidential campaign and for years has been a political consultant since 1980, when he worked for Ronald Reagan. He was Senator Robert Dole's deputy campaign manager in the 1996 presidential campaign.